Outpatients

Urgent and serious referrals

If your patient needs an urgent and serious outpatient referral:

1. please telephone RAH switchboard: (08) 7074 0000, and
2. ask to speak to the specialty on-call registrar for the service required
3. discuss details about the referral case with the on-call registrar
4. confirm correct clinic fax or email address with on-call registrar before sending directly to the clinic required
5. include relevant documentation with referral, requirements are detailed in the ‘health professionals‘ section (of this site) for each specialty condition.

All other referrals

All other referrals that are received by outpatient clinics will be reviewed to determine the clinical urgency of the patient’s condition. All appointments are scheduled based on patient clinical need.

Wait times for an outpatient appointment will vary depending on the level of demand for the service.

Outpatient Call Centre & Referral Management Hub

Referral Management Hub - for clinicians only: (08) 7074 1239

To email PDF format referrals only*: HealthRAHOPDReferrals@sa.gov.au
*(Not for clinical services that are listed below - see individual details)

Fax: (08) 7074 6247

External Mail Delivery Point: 21

Please note: The Outpatient Call Centre and Referral Management Hub details (above) should NOT be utilised for the following services:

Tips to assist with triaging referrals

View information for referring GPs to help the triaging process.

How to make a referral

All patients require a valid referral prior to receiving treatment in an outpatient clinic. Referrals must be submitted in writing and should contain the required minimum data to ensure timely and appropriate decision making.

A patient can be referred to and see a specialist doctor of choice, provided the doctor is available for appointment within suitable timeframes, based on clinical need.

To be treated as a Medicare bulk billed (private) patient in an outpatient clinic and see a specialist doctor of choice, a patient can be referred to a named specialist.

If a referral is not written to a named specialist, the patient will be seen by a doctor of the hospital’s choice as a public patient.

All outpatients are seen on the basis of clinical need. If the named specialist doctor is not available within a clinically appropriate timeframe another doctor may see the patient to ensure the necessary care is provided.

Appointment reminders

To assist patients to attend their appointments on time, we will call with an appointment time and date if the first appointment is in less than four weeks.

For appointments that are more than four weeks away, patients will receive an appointment reminder via the post. In addition, if a valid mobile number has been provided, patients will receive an SMS reminder of their appointment date and time 48 hours prior to their appointment.

If any contact details have changed, please call the general outpatient number 1300 153 853 and provide an updated mobile number and details. If patients do not wish to receive a reminder SMS, please advise the Outpatient Administration team.

Get more information on outpatient appointments for patients and visitors